Beginner Questions - What Is a Slash Chord? (C/B)

Jack Gration

2d • General discussion

You might sometimes see a chord written like this: C/B

This is called a slash chord, and it's much easier to understand than it looks.

The first letter (C) tells you the main chord you're playing.

The letter after the slash (B) tells you which note should be the lowest note (the bass note).

Usually the bass note in the same note as the chord, it C major the bass note is C.

With C/B, you're still playing a C major chord, but instead of the bass note being C, you change it to B.

On the guitar, this usually means that the top part of the chord stays almost exactly the same, while you move or change one of the fingers on the bass strings to create the new bass note.

In other words, you're not learning a completely new chord. You're simply making a small change to the bass while keeping the rest of the chord sounding like C major.

I've put a few tab examples below to demonstrate this.

Why do songs use slash chords?

Slash chords are very common in songs that were originally written on the piano.

A pianist's left hand usually plays the bass notes, while the right hand plays the chord.

Because the two hands work independently, it's easy to keep the same chord in the right hand while changing the bass note underneath.

This creates a much smoother sound, especially when the bass moves one note at a time instead of jumping around.

So whenever you see a slash chord, remember:

The first letter tells you the chord.
The note after the slash tells you what the bass should play.
Most of the chord will stay the same—you'll usually just make a small change to the bass note.

Once you recognise this pattern, slash chords become much less intimidating and start to feel very natural.

If there's anything else in music you don't understand, let me know and I'll create a post like this to answer it.

Thanks

Jack

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Beginner Questions - What Is a Slash Chord? (C/B)